Melt
by spejlbilled
Summary: When several buildings melt for no apparent reason the Warehouse agents are sent to investigate. However once on scene they discover that they are not the only agents on this case. What happens when Helena discovers that Olivia Dunham have green eyes as well? When Broyles meets Mrs. Frederic? Will Claudia ever solve the mystery of the lab cow Gene?
1. Chapter 1

**Note: **The story takes place right in the beginning of Warehouse 13 season 4, and somewhere in season 3 of Fringe right after Olivia returns from Over There. I would think that some of the things I'm referring to in the story would be difficult to follow if you haven't watch both shows. But don't let that deter you, give it a go I might be wrong. As this is my first time posting here, it would really mean a lot if you would leave feedback.

No copyrights infringement intended.

Hope you enjoy!

**PROLOG**

_Boston, Massachusetts _

Finally, after almost five months of brutal winter, spring was beginning to warm up the deep-frozen city. The new wave of warmth translated into a sudden surge of energy in the city's population. Even Brian, a man who thoroughly despised mornings, found himself awake two hours early, his body having responded to the increase of light outside his window. He hummed a quiet tune of no particular melody as he stepped out onto the sun-warmed floor. This feeling was nice. He could very much get used to feeling like this every morning. After a refreshing shower he lingered in front of his mirror hit with the knowledge that this day was going to be one to remember. He grunted to himself after he realized he was right this moment behaving like the people who irritated the hell out of him. Those people who found exorcising at 6 am the most natural morning routine known to man. Those people who had the extra time to ground their own fair trade coffee beans. The time to enjoy their environmentally aware cup of coffee while reading the local newspaper cover to cover. His own morning routine consisted, on a more regular day than this, of a hurried slurping down the still almost boiling hot tar-like substance he considered to be coffee, before he rushed off to work with a feeling of having forgotten something. Most mornings that was the case and he had to use his lunch break to go back to the apartment and retrieve it. Today however as he went wide awake to the coffee maker on his kitchen counter he realized that it would still be nearly two hours before the timer set in and began automatically brewing him his morning fix. Today was a day to indulge in the feeling of spring, of extra time and the assurance he had of the fact that the day ahead of him couldn't be anything other than extraordinary. So Brian, entirely out of character, went down to the Starbucks a block away from his office.

After having spent almost an hour sipping his bucket of actual coffee accompanied by a blueberry muffin he left the Starbucks feeling better than he had in a long while. The meeting today was going to go swimmingly. He was hoping that if today went as he had planned it, his boss would realize that he could handle a bit more responsibility, which sooner or later might lead to a raise or maybe he thought, as he was in an optimistic mood today, even a promotion. He had not gotten more than a couple of buildings down the road before the temperature started to rise. It was unforeseen, unexplainable and gave him such a start that he stopped completely dead in his tracks casting panicked glances around to see if any one else on the street were showing signs of distress. No one seemed to notice that they were no longer on a street in the business area of Boston, but in a massive furnace. Brian could feel how already his suit was soaking in sweat. Water poured down his body, stinging his eyes, causing him to lose his grip on the briefcase he was carrying. A woman clicked by in heels looking at him with disgust written all over her. It was way too hot. Why weren't anyone else feeling this? Brian panicked. He started to run, where too he had no clue, grabbing random strangers as they passed, begging for help. Most of them broke away from his slick hands. Finally he could no longer move, feeling like all his limps had started to lose their coherency. As the understanding of his impending death dawned on him he let out a strangled scream, which soon became nothing more than a wet gurgle.

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE**

_Univille, South Dakota_

Almost two thousand miles from Brian's untimely death a whole other struggle was taking place.

"Pete! Open the goddamn door. I'm freaking bursting out here." Claudia was met with nothing but silence coming from the bathroom door. She knocked again, loud enough to wake the entire house had it not been for the fact that she and Pete were usually the only ones not up and about before 6 am. Claudia didn't care what they said, that still very much counted as night to her.

"Pete! Come on man. I'm gonna have to pee in the bushes if you don't let me in!" She wasn't entirely sure, but it sounded like a faint snicker emanated from the bathroom.

"Christ" she muttered, contemplating for a moment if she would be able to kick the door in. Although she was fairly certain she would, HG had taught her how, she wasn't sure if she would be able to hold it while doing so. Claudia turned at the sound of the front door being flung open. She could hear Myka and Steve's panting from downstairs.

"Suck it! I won!" Her inner eye saw Steve with his arms raised in triumph smiling a satisfied smile at Myka.

"Not fair!... I'm competing… With a dead guy… Do you… Even have to… Breathe?" Myka was obviously exhausted from their run. Her words had to compete their way out against the need for oxygen. A pang of sorrow made Claudia's gut contract. She still hadn't figured out how to get Steve of that damned artifact. The image of Steve twisted in an unnatural position in an abandoned secret lair flashed before her. It made her throat clench while at the same time causing her to inhale a sharp gulp of air. It couldn't pass the barrier in her throat and just for a moment she worried she would pass out.

Steve's soft laughter drew her back to the present and she was able to breathe again.

"Myka. You're just upset that you lost. Deal with it, next case you're doing my paperwork!"

"And here I was thinking that Buddhists were above gloating!" Claudia could hear both of them trudging up the stairs. As soon as she saw Steve, some of her residual sorrow left her again. Here he was, alive and kicking. Well, here he was. That was all that mattered. The other stuff she could soon enough figure out. She owed him that.

"Well, I never said I was a particularly good Buddhist now did I?" Myka smiled a radiant smile. Claudia wasn't the only one glad to have Steve back. They both stopped and looked at her when they reached the second floor questions forming in their frowns.

"What's up Claude?" Myka asked, a small smile still lingering on her lips. The question brought Claudia's focus back to the task at hand. Also to the pressure in her bladder.

"Pete!" she screamed. "I'm not joking. If you don't open this door I will go inside your room, pull down my pants and go right on your freaking rug." She put her ear against the door. Nothing.

"How long has he been in there?" Myka asked.

"Over an hour. I've been standing out here almost fifteen minutes already." It was not often Claudia whined, but this was one of those times.

When she started hammering on the door again Steve asked, more to himself than anyone else

"How come we only have one bathroom anyway?" He looked around the hall as if on cue another would appear. Hey you never knew, the time spent at the Warehouse had seriously opened his mind.

"Pete! I am not kidding about peeing in your room man! I was in the loony bin, remember? I still have some of the crazy in me!" Myka looked a little shocked when Claudia mentioned her time at the institution. It wasn't often she spoke of it, and it was definitely one of the first time she had been able to joke about it like this. _Maybe time really does heal all wounds. _More likely it was the fact that she had for some time now been in a stable environment. Okay, as stable as working in the Warehouse would ever get. Whatever the case, she had thrown it out there, intending to shock Pete a bit and from the looks she was receiving from Myka it had worked. Claudia smirked at Myka, suddenly convinced that it wouldn't be more than two seconds before Pete opened the door. As she predicted Pete soon walked out of the bathroom with exaggerated nonchalance, feigning surprise to see them all standing in front of him.

"Claudia, didn't hear you there"

"Whatever dude, move over!" Claudia shoved Pete out of the way and shut the door in his face. Pete shouted back gesturing with his hands as he did.

"Hey. This degree of awesomeness takes time!" When she didn't reply he turned around to Steve and Myka flexing his bicep.

"Steve, Myka? See anything you like?" He was only wearing a ninja turtle towel around his waist. He moved closer to them and flexed his breast.

"I've told you to stop doing that!" Steve pushed him back with one hand while doing his best to look in the complete opposite direction. He stopped approaching Steve and instead started dancing while humming _you can leave your hat on. _They both looked on in horror as Pete proceeded to slowly remove his towel. Although they both begged of him to stop what he was doing, he kept on going until he dropped the towel in front of Myka. He was wearing boxers underneath the towel. Myka hit him on the shoulder.

"Aww.. Jeez Myka. I was only offering my services. If you got it share it, is what my momma always told me."

"Somehow I find that hard to believe." Having met Pete's mother, and finding she actually had quite something in common with the woman, Myka had a hard time hearing those words come out Jane Lattimer's mouth. Steve nodded his agreement.

"Alright tough crowd." Myka couldn't help but smile at how deflated Pete looked. She could never really figure out if he was teasing or actually believed what he was saying. Maybe it was a bit of both. Claudia exited the door, surprised to find them all still standing around. The fact that Pete was in nothing but his underwear almost didn't even register, she had become so used to it living with him the past couple of years. She was just about to ask what was going on when a very girlish giggle emanated from one of the doors down the hall. They all stood stunned for a moment. None in this house giggled like that. The boys looked from one girl to the other, both of them send a _hell no_ stare in return. If it hadn't come from them then…

They all turned just in time to see a redheaded women stumbling out of HG's bedroom. She let out another giggle once outside, looking completely transfixed at something that was still inside the room. She moved closer to the door again and a strong arm shot out and gripped her around the waist pulling her back inside. They could just make out what appeared to be another figure giving the redhead a knee-buckling kiss before releasing her once more. The redhead looked back into the room in a daze and walked backwards away from the door towards the stairs and the small group outside the bathroom. She was so out of it that she backed into Myka on her way. It looked like the sudden obstacle shook her out of her hazy state. She turned around and when realizing the fact that this entire scene had been observed she turned dark read, mumbled a _sorry_ and went down the stairs out the front door.

"Hey hey hey!" Pete whispered, completely lacking the understanding that sentence usually required. It was more of a question than a statement. They all felt as he did, at an utter lost of words for what just happened. They were still standing like that, almost mouths agape, when HG sauntered out of her room, leaned for a moment on the doorframe and stretched her entire body accompanied by a content sigh. There was something very cat-like about her in that instant. It was not long before she too realized she was being watched, but instead of showing sign of surprise or embarrassment she just swaggered up to the group a smirk in her eye.

"I was wondering what all the commotion was about." She looked to each of them in turn apparently waiting for a reply from either of them. When none followed she stood patiently by waiting for one of them to regain brain function. It was Pete who was the first to snap out of it.

"HG! You totally got some!" Claudia quickly followed him.

"Score!" There were Christmas lights in her eyes. Pete raised his arm into the middle of their small circle. For a moment HG looked bewildered, she was obviously at lost with what to do when presented with a raised palm. Pete nodded his head in his hands direction.

"Don't leave me hanging here HG." That seemed to trigger her memory and she high fived Pete with the excitement of a four year old.

"Who was that?" Steve asked pointing a thumb in the direction the girl had vanished.

"Oh an acquaintance of mine. She works in that little shop in Univille where agent Lattimer here likes to get that black substance to which all you Americans swear loyalty." They all looked to Myka. She sighed.

"She works in the coffee shop." A collective _ahhhh _followed Myka's translation.

"Myka, the Helena whisperer." HG bumped her shoulder into Myka's and looked at her with a beaming smile on her face. When Myka didn't move a muscle it faltered a bit.

"What? I know I got that one right. Lattimer forced me to watch it just the other night." One of the latest of HG projects had been to learn some of the many pop culture references Pete so happily threw about him. Only a fraction of what he mentioned and she would be able to function in any normal conversation. Myka still didn't respond.

"Lattimer was I correct or wasn't I?"

"Yeah you were… But tell me. How did you manage to lure that young maiden into your bed?"

"Oh a lady does not give away her secrets so readily Pete. But if you must know, there was no luring involved. We simply fell into conversation about the fact that it is impossible to get a proper cup of tea around these parts. A statement Ms. Willows happened to agree upon." Claudia couldn't contain herself any longer.

"HG… Are you telling me that you scored over _tea_?" When HG nodded in the affirmative Claudia grinned.

"HG you sly sly fox you… I think you shall be my future wingwoman." HG was confused again, a feeling she loathed but nonetheless had gotten used to after being in this odd century. Steve looked hurt. He usually took that spot. Artie's voice boomed from downstairs.

"We've got a ping!"

* * *

"Enlighten me will you?" Myka wondered why Helena looked so unsure of herself. She hadn't seen that look in a long time. Helena often looked confused, yes, but this was another look. A look of insecurity. She looked back the road in front of her. She, Helena and Claudia were all driving towards the airport hoping to catch the next flight to Boston. It had all been set up in a hurry, and Myka was driving way above the speed limit. Artie had briefed them in a rush and all but kicked them out the door when he was done. Throughout the last couple of weeks, several buildings, people included, had caught on fire, seemingly without cause leaving the fire departments as well as the law enforcers utterly frustrated.

"_What was kept out of the media though, is that the buildings show sign of melting, instead of burning. The local police department suspects some kind of acid attack, however! We know something they don't!" _

"_Artifacts!" Claudia had yelled in a dramatic voice with her hand raised._

"_I smell artifacts!" _

"_Yes well. You three are to go to Boston where the most recent incident has occurred. Steve! Pete! You two will stay here doing research on how to get Steve of that cursed pendulum." _

"_But" Pete protested. _

"_Did you not hear what I said? Research! And if that doesn't suit you, inventory!" _

The last word had been announced with such doom that Pete immediately sat back down again looking like a kid who just received time out for something he didn't do. Myka cast a sympathetic look his way. She was however glad to be on a case again. The past couple of weeks had been kind of dull, nothing but inventory ever since the big Sykes case and the lack of fieldwork had made her restless. Itchy even. Myka had quickly suggested _Gotfried's Spoon. _The ladle responsible for death by spontaneous human combustion, but Artie guaranteed her that it was still neutralized and secure on one of the warehouse's shelves. HG suggested some other, to the rest of the agents, unknown artifacts she had been hunting before she was bronzed. A quick search however revealed that they all had been snagged bagged and tagged in the following years and they were thus nowhere nearer any leads.

"_Remember! It has nothing to do with fire. Or maybe it has. But it has nothing to do with burning. The buildings, the people… they are all melting!" _And with those words of encouragement they were off towards Boston. She turned her attention back to the woman beside her.

"Sure Helena, what is it?" She seemed hesitant to ask, which made Myka grow increasingly worried.

"Well… The acquaintance of mine – "

"You mean the one we saw _tumbling _out of your bedroom this morning?" Claudia, who had previously been occupied with a gadget on the backseat, leaned forward now, a wink plastered all over her face.

"And the one who _literally_ bumped right into me." Myka added.

"Yes," HG sighed. "That acquaintance. She seemed to be devoid of…" She looked to both of the women in the car, almost begging them to finish her question. Claudia tried without luck.

"What? Underwear?"

"No. Umm... Hair."

"What are you talking about? I saw her this morning, remember? Full set of red flaming, shoulder length hair, in the style of I've-just-been-banged-all-night-long-and-it-felt-s oooo-good." Myka smiled a strained smile back at Claudia. She was unsure why this incident was so hard for her to digest. Helena was free to be with whomever she wanted to be with. After all it had been over a hundred years, the woman was bound to feel an itch well beyond anything Myka could ever fathom. Well maybe it didn't take too much of an imagination, having had a bit of a dry spell herself ever since- God had it really been that long? Since _Sam?_ Wow. She needed to get a love life. By instinct she looked to HG again, not even noticing the leap from thought to action. HG looked even more uncomfortable after Claudia's latest comment. It all suddenly clicked into place for Myka and she was just about to tell Claudia, that it wasn't that kind of hair HG had been referring to, when HG sighed and gave up.

"I'm not talking about the hair on her head, dear." Myka looked back at Claudia through the mirror, who sat very still for a few moments until finally, she was also able to grasp what HG was talking about and let out a soaring laugh. Myka gave one of her smirks, which seemed to comfort HG because she sat back in her chair again while looking on in puzzlement until Claudia's laugh died down.

"Oh the images! God I whish I could have seen your face!"

"Well I was a honestly quite surprised. I've never been with anyone, man or women, with that particular disorder. I'm assuming it's somewhat common in this era, considering your reaction. It's not contagious, I trust?"

That remark sent Claudia into a laughing fit again. She ended up almost lying on the floor of the car, as best as her seatbelt would let her, grabbing her stomach in pain. Myka couldn't resist the humor of the situation, or perhaps it was Claudia's laugh that in fact _did_ posses some contagious effect, whatever the reason she herself ended up laughing so hard, she almost had to pull the car over. HG didn't like to feel like she was the butt of the joke, and sat with her arms crossed, smiling both bemused and a little sad, waiting for an explanation.

"Helena. The woman didn't have a disorder. Don't worry it is definitely not contagious. It's more of a… Umm…" Myka found it harder to finish her answer than she had anticipated. A warm flush was spreading to her cheeks and she addressed the road ahead of her again. Luckily for her Claudia didn't seem to have a problem continuing.

"Grooming choice." When HG didn't seem to understand she kept going.

"Women, and some of the fellows as well in this century tend to shave their body hair."

"Shave?" HG looked at both of them a bit suspicious.

"It must be quite the barber. What skill that would require." Claudia was ready to erupt once again, but one stern look from Myka and she bit down hard on her lip. Myka had a feeling they'd reached the amount of laughter Helena's ego could handle for the day.

"No HG, most people do it themselves."

HG threw up her hands in despair.

"What? That is utter madness. Have the people of this century not an ounce of thought for their parts?! And such delicacy, of all the places on the female body-"

"HG chillax! It's completely safe. They have invented a razor. This tiny blade surrounded by plastic and it's almost impossible to cut yourself. I have one in my bag I can show you." Claudia interrupted HG's rant; a thing she had learned should be done with caution if one did not want the silent treatment the following afternoon. Myka felt warmth spread all over her cheeks for the second time as HG mentioned the female delicacy. Images of Helena's slender fingers, Myka's own delicacy, writhing bodies flashed before her. They made Myka's pulse quicken. _Why _she thought to herself, was the thought of Helena and sex making her blush this hard? She had never been _that_ prudish. Could it be that it was simply the thought of sex that rendered her this flushed no matter whom she pictured it with? It was definitely time to get herself going again. Perhaps her restlessness did not stem from the lack of fieldwork at all.

Relief spread over HG's face. Having gained her composure once more, she added

"Well that is certainly a relief. And I must say, once I was assured she was of age it was quite pleasurable. " Claudia grinned and returned to her gadget.

Myka looked back at the road, but was almost sure she could feel Helena's eyes running up and down her body. _Probably trying to figure out if I shave as well._ She gripped the steering wheel tighter trying to gain some control of her body. She could still feel Helena's eyes on her, burning trails of hot itchiness wherever they went. She hated feeling like this. Despised was probably a more suiting word for it. She had no control what so ever of how her body reacted under Helena's gaze. Throughout her time working in the Warehouse she had somehow been able to loosen up her OCD approach to her work. She attributed a lot of credit to Pete, Claude and perhaps even Artie, feeling like she had finally found her surrogate family. A family where she for once felt good enough just being Myka. The unpredictable nature of the actual Warehouse work no doubt had done its fair share to rattle her loose a bit more. For the most part Myka loved the change. She welcomed the way her shoulders had dropped from her ears, the way her movements had become less rigid and most of all she loved that she could appreciate all of this and still feel just as professional as before. She had eventually realized that the feeling she had of being in control was only an illusion. The Warehouse and the entire environment that came along with it could never actually be controlled. There was something at work, much bigger than herself and for once in her life she was at peace with that knowledge.

Then Helena entered her life. True to Warehouse form she was unforeseen, unpredictable and completely out of Myka's control. And yet she did something to Myka. Her old OCD patterns slowly returned. She enjoyed spending time with Helena that was more than obvious. Myka didn't think she had ever had that amount of respect for anyone. She was fascinated beyond mere curiosity and somehow felt a bit like they were kindred spirits. For a while she had been unable to name her feelings towards Helena, simply because they were new and unfamiliar. Not even with Sam had she felt like this and for that reason she decided to name her feelings friendship. She had never really had any close friends, but she had seen how her sister acted around her girlfriends back when they were teenagers. Something about the way those girls seemed absolutely certain of their knowledge that they would always be together resonated in the way Myka felt towards Helena. She loved her. She had been certain of that ever since Pete almost destroyed the Janice coin. But when she was with Helena Myka's body was no longer her own. It behaved completely irrationally, like right now under Helena's eyes. She could handle not controlling the world around her, but not being able to control her own body, the only thing she _knew _was hers to control? That made the old Myka reappear full force.

And the old Myka was kind of pissed that Helena had that amount of influence over her. She looked over to find Helena innocently watching her.

"What?!" It was a little louder than Myka had meant for it to be and following the minutes of silence the car rung with the anger of her word. Helena almost jumped in her seat.

"What?" She asked back, not sure exactly where this was coming from. The new Myka wasn't really that sure either.

"Never mind." She mumbled. She turned the radio up and returned her focus once more to the road. Where did this sudden anger come from? A flash of red hair. Myka was at lost with what to do with herself.

* * *

_Boston, Massachusetts_

The three women stood a moment taking in the scene among the many other eager spectators.

"I do not understand you Americans' love of the beverage." Helena said, mostly to herself. It helped her to imagine America as the reason why she felt so lost and that London as she knew it, was still there, just across the pond, ready and recognizable. In reality though it had proven as different and unfamiliar as America. Everything moved at a different pace, everything had a different smell, the volume of the noise in this time was excruciating. Helena took in a deep breath. She had to clear her mind when thoughts like this entered her head. They did less frequently with every passing day, but she still had to be careful. It was the same kind of thoughts that had her ready to end it all.

"So… Should we go have a look at it?" She lifted the police tape, for Myka and Claudia and slipped under herself. A police officer quickly came to protest holding his arms out in front of him.

"Hold it right there ladies. No journalists inside the barrier. There will be a press conference in the afternoon." Helena bristled inside. His tone of voice reminded her of how most men used to talk to her back in London. _Breathe Helena. _It was not so much the fact that he was condescending to them that had her ready to loose it. It was the fact that of all the things changed in this new time, _this _still occurred. He had almost shoved them back the way they came, before Myka drew out her badge.

"Secret Service, officer. I'm agent Bering, this is agent Wells and Donovan. We are here to investigate the attack."

"Attack?! You think this could be an attack?" He leaned in a bit closer and whispered

"On the president?" HG could see Myka whishing she could bite off her tongue that instant. She stood up straighter as she said:

"I'm sorry officer, but this is on a need to know basis." He was showing signs of wanting to protest. Helena had more than her share of experience in handling these situations.

"Officer, whomever might have targeted this place, intended for the general population to believe it to be a fire. It's best for us, and the investigation, that they continue to believe that. I'm sure a fine officer such as yourself recognizes the importance of keeping this between us. The officials." The officer all of the sudden looked mighty important as he stepped aside and said:

"Off course I do agents. Carry on." HG smiled to herself. Men. Claudia snickered once out of earshot from the police officer.

"You got some mad people skills HG."

"Some things have not changed much."

The Starbucks building was utterly evaporated and in its stead was a great deep hole in the ground. They were standing at the edge of the pit by now. Looking down they could see what looked like an oily black substance of some kind. A couple of figures were wading around in it wearing protective suits.

"What do you think they are looking for?" Claudia asked.

"My guess would be remains. There were 35 people in that building. When it just… Melted." Claudia swallowed once and looked, a bit more terrified, down into the hole. Myka had memorized the file on the plane. HG was actually somewhat jealous of Myka's eidetic memory. _Imagine what I could have done with that! _On the other hand, when she thought about what she had been able to do _without_ it maybe it was for the best.

HG took in the scene once more. Behind her Myka and Claudia were still talking about the contents of the pit. The police tape formed a semi circle around the hole, behind which about a hundred people still waited hungrily for something interesting to take place. It didn't look like much action was in store though. The fire trucks and the ambulances had long gone. All that was left were police cars and a couple of big black vehicles she could only imagine belonged to the government. As she glanced over at one of them something caught her eye. Something blond and soft. A woman walked out from behind the car. She had long blond hair in a tight ponytail and was wearing a black suit. A gust of wind opened the jacket and Helena caught a glimpse of a gun at her side. The woman had a telephone to her ear. Her unburdened hand gesticulated wildly in sync with her mouth. In fact her entire body spoke so loudly Helena was almost certain she could hear it somewhere underneath all the police sirens. She looked tense. Or haunted somehow. A frown that looked almost permanent, a clenched jaw and drawn shoulders, it was almost as if her whole body was trying to hold her together despite some unearthly force. Helena recognized that felling instantly. Although she would like to think she had been better at hiding it, this blonde figure in front of her was the visual representation of how she felt coming out of the bronze sector. It was pain, frustration and hurt, but it was never fragile or weak. It was filled with anger and determination. Helena was sure that what ever had transpired in this young woman's life, it was of a magnitude not many people on this earth would ever experience. Maybe perhaps the kind of magnitude that followed a job dealing with certain _peculiarities _of life. Helena found herself intrigued.

In that moment, when Helena's gaze was filled with nothing but curiosity and sympathy for this woman, she turned around and looked at her. Helena kept her eyes steady and before long the woman was done talking and walked right up to her.

"Special Agent Dunham, FBI." Myka and Claudia turned around at her words. Seeing as Helena apparently didn't feel like introducing herself, Myka grabbed the woman's hand.

"Agent Bering, Secret Service, this is agents Donovan and Wells." Agent Dunham nodded to Claudia and Helena. Something she saw in Helena's eyes caused her to linger a bit longer. Helena in turn could see doubt, confusion and also a hint of curiosity in the blonde's green eyes. _Oh for heaven's sake! Green? Really? _Helena could not handle green eyes. It was the first thing she noticed about My- _Stop it. _She warned herself. _That chapter is finished. It was over before it even began. _Beside her Myka cleared her throat and shifted. That brought agent Dunham out of her trance and back to the task at hand. Ice ran down Helena's back when she saw how cold and closed off the agent's eyes became within the instant of a blink.

"I'm sorry. But what is the secret service doing here, exactly?" She was addressing Myka.

"We're not at liberty to discuss it. It's classified." If the woman hadn't seemed so haunted and _clenched _Helena might have thought she saw the corner of the agent's mouth twitch involuntarily at the sound of the last sentence. Myka didn't seem to notice. She gestured back to the pit.

"Are those your men in the pit?"

"Ah yes. They are." Pain flashed briefly in green eyes. _What on earth has happened to make this woman seem so scarred? _

"I would like a copy of your findings, once they are ready." Myka smiled her professional smile and was just about to turn around again when agent Dunham said, again with just the _faintest _hint of a smile:

"I'm sorry agent, I can't do that. It's… Classified." When Myka turned around she too had a silent grin in the corner of her mouth. Helena had seen that expression before. It was the smirk Myka reserved for those posing a challenge for her, pushing back when she shoved. It was the sign of Myka ready to play, feeling confident that she would win; yet also sure she would enjoy the game while it lasted.

"Ma'am I'm sorry, but this is a matter of national security."

"I'm aware. Otherwise I wouldn't be here."

"Look. Our work is classified above top secret, we work directly under the government. You are more than welcome to call our boss and have him explain the circumstances for you, but right now I would really like to get a move on things." Myka handed the woman their clearance code and the phone number Artie had left her for situations like these. The woman looked, unimpressed, at the card, secure in her knowledge about the nature of her own work.

She reached in her pocket and extracted a card very similar to the one Myka had just given her.

"And you are more than welcome to call my superior as well, and have him explain to you why I can not hand over any evidence."

"Oh boy." Claudia whispered beside Myka.

"Olivia! I need these samples driven back to the lab immediately. I have a theory, but I need to have this substance analyzed. And on the way, I need to pick up some more red wines. I ran out yesterday." One of the men in the protective suits had walked up to their small group and had taken with him the stench of burned hair and sewers. When the agent didn't answer him he followed her gaze to the women in front of him.

"Oh! I didn't realize you had company. How lovely. I'm dr. Walter…" The man's childish countenance suddenly became grave, almost ashen, frozen completely in fear.

"Bishop, Walter. Your last name is Bishop." The younger man laid his hands on the dr.'s shoulders and smiled a reassuring smile down at him.

"Right. Bishop." The older man said to the women and offered a smile that resembled an apology more than anything else. He looked back at the man behind him and his face transformed yet again, now radiating love and adoration for the younger man. Helena knew that kind of love.

"I'm Peter Bishop." The women exchanged names. At the sound of Helena's name dr. Bishop looked at her with fierce electricity in his eyes. Helena could almost hear it crackling.

"Oh! An English woman! Did you hear that Peter? My wife was from Britain. Perhaps you knew her. Her name was Elizabeth Bishop?" He looked at her like a child in the midst of asking permission for taking home a stray puppy.

"I'm sorry doctor, but I don't think we ever met." The disappointment that washed over the dr.'s face was complete. Thankfully, the man behind him broke the awkward silence that followed.

"So… What is going on here?" He looked from Myka to agent Dunham. They continued their starring competition for another beat, and almost simultaneously drew out their phones, well in Myka's case her Farnsworth, and left the group in an attempt to get a handle on the situation. Claudia moved closer to Helena and whispered:

"Call me Pete, cause I got a vibe this is going to be _real _interesting."


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

"Astrix! Get out the red wines jar! I have brought some new ones from the store! Finally scientific progress can commence!" Dr. Bishop's voice boomed through the vast basement. The echo rung with the finality in his tone. A small pixie-like young woman stepped out from behind some unidentifiable lab equipment. She wore a white lab coat, long sleeved turquoise rubber gloves and some kind of goggles that could have been snatched directly from the Warehouse's stash. All of it seemed several sizes too big and only accentuated the feeling of her being swallowed up by the room. She sighed with the patience of a parent.

"Walter, we ran out of red wines last Tuesday. You have been bringing home new packets everyday for the past week." To make her point clear she withdrew a cardboard box from one of the cupboards underneath a table. It was almost spilling over with packets of the red candy. The doctor smiled and said he was sorry although his mischievous tone betrayed the serenity of his apology. Something about the way he looked completely satisfied with himself told Myka that he wasn't as unaware of his mistake as he claimed. The young woman let out a small laugh and shook her head. It was only after she had put the box away again that she noticed the newcomers.

"Oh I'm sorry." She walked from the lab floor up the stairs to the small group.

"I'm junior agent Astrid Farnsworth." She stuck out her gloved hand. It was filled with what looked like some of the black oil they had encountered at the scene earlier. She looked horrified when she realized her mistake and quickly took off her glove.

"I'm so sorry. I think I might have worked too long in this lab. Some of Walter's manners seem to have rubbed off on me." The three women in front of her still seemed a bit out of it and she raised her eyebrows in question, sure that she had not done anything else to violate other social codes. Claudia cleared her throat and asked:

"Did you just say your name was Farnsworth?" When she nodded in confirmation Helena arched one eyebrow and both Myka and Claudia shook their heads and smiled as if saying, _"of course it is." _ Agent Dunham turned to Astrid and said:

"We ran into an authority issue. Broyles will be here in a while to try and work it out. Until then I think it's best if you come with me to the office." She indicated the three strangers and led them to the office in the corner of the lab. On their way the lab cow Gene announced his presence with a soft _muuhh_.

* * *

"Right. So can I get you anything while we wait? It'll probably be 20 minutes or so before he gets here." The blonde FBI agent stood in front of the door leading from the office to the lab. Myka couldn't decide if it was conscious choice or a coincidence. Given that the nature of her work was obviously classified it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume she had placed herself there as a way of sending a message. But something in her stance made Myka wonder if it perhaps wasn't more for her own comfort's sake. _Close to the escape route._ Myka's mind tended to overanalyze even the most insignificant details about her environment. _Perhaps the more simple explanation is that she is just prepared to go get the coffee she just offered. Occam's razor Myka, Occam's razor. _

"Coffee would be great."

"Me too." Claudia sounded impatient. From his place within Myka's mind Mr. Bering cleared his throat and frowned disapprovingly at the tone of Claudia's voice. He was soothed once again when he heard the extremely gracious way Helena asked:

"Is it too much trouble to ask for a cup of tea agent?" Agent Dunham seemed transfixed by Helena's voice. She mumbled a _no, of course not_ and left the room. As soon as the door closed the three women drew a collective breath and huddled together across the desk.

"Did you see that? I mean. A cow? A freaking cow?! In the middle of the lab? In a basement? In a basement under Harvard! What is this place anyway?" Claudia stood once again and moved to the windows looking out over the lab. She looked through the blinds, and then quickly let them fall back as if she'd been spotted.

"Do you think they're watching us right now?" Her voice became hushed and she looked suspiciously at the corners of the ceiling.

"Claudia… I hardly think they are – " Helena tried to calm the young agent, but her mind had already jumped to the next bizarre scenario.

"Frak! I know! Dr. Frakenstein in there is gonna chomp us to bits and use our body parts for his next project. Perhaps even use the cow as well. That explains so much!" Claudia's eyes widened at her latest realization.

"Yes!" Helena beamed at them both. Her excitement to become part of the Cow-Human hybrid confused the rest of the room.

"I got that one. Mary Shelly's Frakenstein. Nice to see some of the classics survived." She quickly explained. Myka smiled at Helena, sharing her sentiment.

"Look Claudia. Relax. Nobody is going to use our body parts for anything. We just have to wait here until this… Broyles shows up. Hopefully we can have it all sorted out within the hour and then be on our way again to solving this whole meltdown situation. We'll be back at the Warehouse in no time." Myka sighed after she realized that nothing ever was really that simple when dealing with Warehouse business.

"Uhm Myka, I don't know if you noticed but that lab in there was amazeballs. I'm feeling like the regular Alice in wonderland ready to follow the freaking rabbit. I'm not going _anywhere_ until I figure out what the actual hell is going on in there. Or at least what the cow is for." Claudia slumped back into the chair. At the mention of Alice Myka flinched almost imperceptibly. She hoped no one noticed, but off course when she looked over to Helena her eyes met a deep black pool of concern and understanding. How was it that Helena always seemed to know what was going on inside her head? She put a hand out and gently stroked Myka's arm. An electric current burnt a cool trail from where Helena's skin touched Myka's.

In that moment the door was opened and agent Dunham walked in with their coffee followed by the junior agent carrying Helena's tea. Helena quickly removed her hand from Myka's arm and a sting of unidentified pain crossed Myka's heart. Agent Dunham's eyes turned out to be just as analyzing as Myka's. They seemed to linger on the sudden abandoned place on Myka's arm before they were directed elsewhere. They were back to being solid stone once more when she addressed the small group.

"Agent Broyles is here. Could you come with me?" They all stood, coffee in hand, and walked back into the lab where a tall dark man greeted them. He was wearing a suit, very much the prototype of an FBI agent. His formal stance indicated a background in the military, the way his gaze zoomed in on Myka, quickly finding the individual in charge, spoke of a position in power. A position dealing with politicians as well. He seemed even more brooding than agent Dunham, and Myka began to seriously wonder what kind of dangerous events these guys were dealing with to make them seem so uptight. They all shook hands and agent Broyles was just about to get down to business when a familiar voice sounded from behind agent Broyles' back.

"I think we might need to talk." To his credit he managed to hide his start very well and he recovered incredibly quickly for someone who had just been treated to the _"Mrs. Frederic" _for the first time.

"I'm Mrs. Frederic. Is there somewhere we can talk more privately?" agent Broyles glared down at the short woman. She was wearing a mint green skirt and matching jacket. In return she arched an eyebrow and stepped one slow and incredibly threatening step closer to the towering agent.

"Sure" Broyles said through gritted teeth and gestured Mrs. Frederic to the same office they had just occupied. As the two figures walked to the office and closed the door behind them Claudia seemed to voice what everyone was thinking.

"Brace yourselves. Nuclear reaction in three… two… one…"

* * *

They had been waiting for the two to exit the office for about 30 minutes so far. At first they had all stood in a semi circle facing the door and drinking their offered coffee. When no progress had been made after the first fifteen minutes they all began to loosen up a bit. Even agent Dunham who up until now had seemed very suspicious of them had let them enter the lab and they now sat around a metal table listening to the soft chewing sounds coming from the cow. Myka looked to her watch for the third time in just as many minutes. The motion seemed to remind agent Dunham of her impatience because she sighed and asked the doctor:

"Walter, how long before you can tell us anything about the substance?" Walter looked up from the flower he had been fiddling. He had a piece of the red candy Helena recognized as Myka's prized Twizzlers in his hand and for a moment he looked as far off as someone just waking from a particularly pleasant dream.

"Substance? Oh! Yes! The infernal modern machine over there is taking its time. I need the results from the analysis before I can continue." He looked back to the flower and fingered each individual leaf. His lips moved as his fingers caressed each petal. He was utterly lost again. Helena felt some recognition stir within her, but she was not yet ready to put a name to it. Silence settled over the small group once more. Since no one knew who could be trusted and how much was allowed to be shared, they all had trouble finding common ground to start of a conversation. It was Claudia, Helena wasn't really surprised at this, who finally could take no more of the heavy silence.

"Okay. I'm sorry. Classified be damned. If nothing else I need to know what the cow is for." She looked to the doctor, but he was lost in his own world for good this time. His son answered in his stead.

"Cows are genetically very similar to humans. And it is an ethical test subject." Astrid walked up to the table with a box of donuts and added:

"And therefore Gene is basically the only one in this lab who hasn't been subjected to Walter's experiments." At hearing his name Walter looked up, grabbed a donut and said:

"That's not quite true actually. Don't forget that time we tried to transfer Belly's consciousness from Olivia to Gene. Sometimes I still think Gene looks a little too conspicuously at me."

He looked suspiciously at the cow, and when it muuhed in turn his face lit up in a childish grin. He looked pointedly at the other table-members before turning his devoted attention to the donut in his hands. Helena could feel agent Dunham measuring their reaction, probably trying to decide whether their work resembled her own. Helena wanted nothing more than to convince this young woman that they were more than capable of handling anything she could throw at them, but she had _just_ gotten on Arties good side. For some as yet unexplained reason ever since the Sykes case his violent and often impossible rude distrust of her had evaporated completely. She was eager to keep it that way for now and somehow sharing classified information to people whom they didn't know if they could trust yet, didn't seem like the greatest idea. Luckily for her Claudia responded as she picked up a donut.

"Ha! That reminds me of when you and Pete ran into that eagle –"

"Griffin." Myka corrected her and Helena almost laughed out loud when she saw Myka's horrified expression. She hadn't realized she was about to offer up top-secret information before it was already out of her mouth. Claudia carried on unfazed.

"Whatevs. HG, do you remember? So funny… Pete, acting as Myka, made out with this old flame of hers and when –"

"Claude, that's enough." It was Myka's turn to gauge the others' reaction. Helena saw the corner of her mouth twitch; apparently she was satisfied with the dumbfounded expressions of the FBI agents.

The door to the office opened and everyone, except the doctor, immediately stood. Mrs. Frederic nodded her consent towards Broyles as he stepped forward and said:

"After talking to Mrs. Frederic it has become clear to me there are some things that even I have been unaware of. It seems that our two departments have been, for whatever reason, separated by an enormous amount of red tape. I don't know the specifics and neither does Mrs. Frederic. However. We came to the conclusion that this case will be solved more efficiently if both of our teams have equal and unrestricted access to information. So you can now consider this case a joint task force, agent Dunham, agent Bering, you two will be heads of the operation. It is uncertain how much longer we can keep the public unaware of the truth behind these attacks, so whatever you do to fix this situation, you better do it fast. Any questions?" When there were none, both authority figures exited the room.

"Right. Let's get to it then." Agent Dunham signaled for them to move towards the office, but just as the group was about to get moving Astrid held up her hand motioning for them to hold on. She nodded into her phone and then followed with a few mmmhmmms before disconnecting.

"That was Gary from Boston PD. He says a witness called in about a guy who seems to have turned into water. – I already told him to have some of his officers cover the scene until you guys get there." Agent Dunham gave the junior agent a grateful smile and silently thanked her for her ability to foresee what would have been her next request. The message seemed to trigger a rehearsed routine within the group. The doctor did a couple of confused pirouettes around himself before noticing the two suitcases his son held in his hands. Right before they left the room Astrid shouted:

"And Peter please make sure he doesn't bring anymore candy home!"

Agent Dunham grabbed her keys and asked Astrid, who was already heading for the computer, if she could check any of the city's cameras in that area.

"You three come with me." She indicated the newcomers and left for the door.

"Uhmm.. Maybe I should just hang back here. I think I'll help with the computer and the cameras. They might be a bit more up my alley than all the… human… goo…" When Myka nodded her consent Claudia squeaked what Pete had named her "super-nerd-joy-sound-of-piercing-altitudes."

* * *

Helena found herself in the backseat of one of the big black vehicles she had first spotted only hours ago. The agent behind the wheel seemed even more determined than Myka to get them all killed before reaching their destination. She glanced suspiciously to the seatbelt and wondered if perhaps one of the force fields she had been working on before the Bronze had been a more capable solution than the flimsy fabric crossing her chest. Myka was in the front with the FBI agent going over the details of the case. None of this particularly interested Helena since she knew that Myka would be infinitely more adapt at keeping all the facts straight than she ever would. She did however find that the amount of details and facts filling the car was entirely disproportionate to the amount of case files neither of the women in the front seemed to be reading. She had come to expect this from Myka, but found it curious that the other woman could so easily keep up. She returned from her internal world just in time to hear Myka's highlights.

"Okay so. Over the past couple of months these attacks have affected a park, a grocery store, the ticket office outside Madison Square Garden and now a Starbucks. 23 people have been killed, 24 if you count the one we are headed for now, no video footage since most of the cameras have melted along side the buildings and no witnesses reporting anything out of the ordinary, until off course right after the incident itself."

"Did you happen to ask any of them if they smelled apples right before the attack?" Dunham seemed hesitant to answer, not knowing whether or not to take it seriously. However when she looked to Myka for conformation, she only added;

"Or fudge?" The agent looked backed to the road and shook her head. After a minute of silence Helena leaned towards the women and offered her opinion on the matter.

"It all seems a bit random, does it not? I mean if I were in possession of an artifact - or some other peculiarity - enabling me to _melt buildings_ at will, I would go for a grander gesture. These attacks almost doesn't seem as though they were meant to be attacks. More like – "

"Accidents." Myka finished. Helena acknowledged Myka with a sideways smirk and turned her black eyes back to the FBI agent.

"The kinds of accidents an uncontrolled artifact tends to lead to. And if this is the case, we are definitely qualified to deal with the situation"

"Okay. What are these artifacts you keep referring to?" When Myka began to give agent Dunham the need to know of Warehouse 13, Helena leaned back again confident in her ability to do whatever needed to be done, once they arrived to their destination. That was if the blonde agent and the fickle seatbelts managed to get them there in one piece.

* * *

Olivia Dunham still didn't know what to make of the new agents. Her experiences so far had told her nothing but not to trust anyone but herself. Up until recently the trust had extended to her team as well, but if she was to be completely honest with herself, that bond had been broken ever since she returned from Over There. Her walls had gone up full force again. They had not been this dense since her stepfather and they were even harder to penetrate now with the psyche of an adult to back them up. The dark agent however seemed to know where to look for cracks. She hadn't been successful yet, but Olivia knew it was only a matter of time before she found what she was looking for. What bothered Olivia was why the female agent seemed so intent on unraveling her. What exactly did she want from her? She looked to her left and found, not to her surprise, the agent looking at her with a curious almost childlike expression. There was also a great amount of patience in her gaze, like she knew something was bound to unfold if she just bided her time. It made Olivia uneasy. It made her put on an extra coat of psychological armor. Right that second the Bishops walked around the corner to greet their small group. Olivia's gut contracted and she involuntarily flinched by the sight of the man who had broken her heart. He noticed and bent his head in a submissive gesture.

"Olivia! We found something, come take a look at this!" Walter's enthusiasm broke the uncomfortable silence and he let the group to a dark object on the ground.

"A brief case?"

"We believe it to be the victims briefcase. It seems to have slipped from his grip – look! There's some of the substance left on the handle." Walter had just bent over to pick up the case, when the tall secret service agent yelled:

"Don't touch it!" Walter jumped away and into Peter who helped him back on his feet again. He looked very insulted and scowled to the two new agents. It made Olivia realize how much she had missed Walter from this side. Once she got her memory back it was always a trial having to pretend that Walternate with his professional and cold demeanor didn't make shivers run down her spine. The women put on purple cloves and walked carefully towards the briefcase. Agent Wells got out a big silvery plastic bag from her pocket.

"You might wanna step back." Agent Bering motioned for them all to move away before she carefully lifted the briefcase, dropped it in the bag agent Wells held out for her, and dived for cover from the bag which… didn't do anything.

"Was something supposed to have happened?" Walter watched the women expectantly.

"Well, now we know this isn't the artifact we're after." The bishops looked confused and Olivia gave them the brief explanation agent Bering had given her on how Artifacts worked. Peter looked to Walter and said:

"I think you might have created some of those in your time Walter." It was not far from what Olivia first thought when she learned of the Warehouse herself. Walter seemed far off and Olivia knew he was right this minute processing the new information in his vast and mysterious mind.

"Perhaps we should check the contents of the case? Maybe it could be inside?" Bering looked doubtfully at the case.

"I'm not sure it wouldn't have picked it up. We might as well try though." The case was locked, but Peter managed to break it within a few seconds. It contained nothing but what you'd expect to find. None of the items seemed to pass what ever test the two agents put them through, but it did give them an idea of the owner.

"Brian Collins. Assistant manager of AddVise Company." The information was unconsciously stored and permanently maintained in Olivia's ever-expanding catalogue.

"We should have Claudia run his credit card activity. See if anything recent stands out." While she said this, agent Bering had already drawn her weird looking phone and soon called the young agent. While she was talking the dark agent walked up to her and looked at the screen as well. She placed her hand at the small of the tall woman's back. Neither of the women seemed conscious of it, which made Olivia think this sort of gesture happened often between the two. The third agent said something behind the screen that made Bering's eyes widen and Olivia readied herself for important information.

"Claudia said the last activity on the victims card is a purchase at Starbucks. The one which melted only hours before this was called in." Silence followed as the group took in this new information. Peter was the first to voice his questions.

"Okay so we're either dealing with what? The victim saw something he wasn't supposed to and the unsub follows him from Starbucks right after he instigates the attack and kills this victim as well. Or maybe Brian here was the actual intended target and somehow got away, which again let to the unsub following him?"

"Or maybe-" This came from the dark haired agent.

"it was not intended at all. Maybe he was some kind of accident. Maybe the… _unsub_ as you say did not intend for any of this to happen and can not really control much of what he, or she, is doing."

"If that's the case, why haven't we seen more of these types of accidents? There has been no reporting of single victims before."

"Well I don't know about you, but my experiences dealing with these sorts of things is that the ordinary citizen does not willingly admit to have seen something which would by all public standards deem him mentally ill. There could be many unlucky souls just like our Brian." Again the group was left to ponder the different theories in silence. In any case they needed to confirm that the goo they passed earlier was in fact Brian Collins and not just some guy carrying around Brian Collins' briefcase. She called Astrid to have her and Claudia run the city's cameras and see if they could confirm the identity of the victim, and after that back track his movements, perhaps even further back than his visit at Starbucks. Olivia was itching for something more concrete to go on. This case had taken them weeks already with nothing close to solid leads.

"Walter? Walter!" He snapped out of it, and Olivia asked where he was with his theory.

"I haven't been able to deduce much from the substance yet. And when all other evidence evaporates with it… I can tell you, that we are definitely not dealing with any kind of acid. I found no traces of any known makers for an acid attack. That doesn't necessarily rule out Marsian acid…"

"So you can't tell us anything?" The doctor carried on like he hadn't heard her.

"…but then off course acid never really did fit with my other theory, so it that's probably good."

"What theory?" Walter looked stupefied. He leaned over and whispered to Peter.

"I forgot to mention it, didn't I?" When Peter nodded, Walter shook his head and apologized to the secret service agents.

"My mind… It's not to be trusted anymore." Olivia could have sworn she saw something that resembled recognition cross agent Wells' face right before she answered.

"Think nothing of it Doctor. Mine tends to be rather devious as well."

"So let's hear it Walter. What's your theory this time?"

"I posit that the substance, or artifact, or whatever kind of devilry is responsible for these attacks, it lingers. Takes time from exposure to result. But mere exposure, would not be enough I think, otherwise we'd definitely have a lot of other puddles of goo lying around our streets. I think time is key. Below a certain threshold of exposure and you'll be fine. Over that threshold. Goo."

"So you're saying that Brian picked this… _Affliction_ up when he was drinking his coffee at Starbucks, stayed there long enough to cross the threshold, but then left, before the rest of the building melted." Olivia had become more adept at speaking Walter over the years, and figured she had to translate to the two new women on the case.

"Yes! Exactly! And because he had stayed there long enough, it was only a matter of time before he himself, simply melted." Peter joined the conversation then.

"But if this is true, Walter, there could be any number of people who visited that place, or any of the other places for that matter, who died the same way as Brian did." Walter nodded his agreement and bent over the puddle on the ground.

"I need Brian here taken back to the lab. And while we're on our way home Peter, can we run by the grocery store. I need some red wines. I ran out yesterday."


End file.
